Society for Georgia Archaeology » Glossary

This is a glossary of words with particular meanings in archaeology. Because they have special meanings, we also call them jargon.

The foundation of this glossary is the one assembled for the 2001 special issue of Early Georgia called ‚“Resources at Risk.” Click here to read more about the issue and download it in PDF format.

Please write us here if there’s another word you wonder about and think we might add.

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F
  7. G
  8. H
  9. I
  10. J
  11. K
  12. L
  13. M
  14. N
  15. O
  16. P
  17. Q
  18. R
  19. S
  20. T
  21. U
  22. V
  23. W
  24. X
  25. Y
  26. Z
band

a mostly egalitarian form of social organization, based on kinship and marriage

basketry

the art of making baskets or other items constructed from woven fibers or other flexible materials

bc

like BC, meaning before Christ, but for uncorrected radiocarbon dates

BC

before Christ in the Christian or Gregorian calendar, or the period before year 1

biface

a stone tool, such as a projectile point, that has been modified on both sides (faces)

biotic

of or relating to or resulting from living beings; opposite of abiotic

bioturbation

changes in the soil due to natural processes done by living things, which include the action of roots, worms, and digging creatures, etc.

These processes cause the movement of and changes to artifacts and features after deposition.

blade

a long, thin flake of stone that’s produced in some techniques of stone tool making

bp

like BP, a designation for years before present, with 1950 the index year that’s considered “the present,” but for uncorrected radiocarbon dates

BP

designates years before present, with 1950 the index year that’s considered “the present,” for corrected radiocarbon dates

built environment

human-made constructions that, at least loosely, may be called buildings, plus all sorts of architecture and engineered structures